Balearic Cup 2018 cricket tournament Ibiza
11/05/18 Ibiza vs Menorca 35 overs per side
Result : Ibiza 194/6 beat Menorca 166 all out by 28 runs
Ibiza were asked to bat by Menorca captain Simon Cotton and moved cautiously to 41/2 off 10 overs in the face of accurate bowling. By then, experienced batsmen Andy Holmes (58) and Johnno Gordon (51) were together and they put on exactly 100 runs.
After they were out, the hosts also lost their skipper Sam Gooda, and had scored 158/5 off 30 overs, knowing that they would need to set Menorca’s strong batting line up a target of at least 200. Jim Harvey then struck several welcome boundaries in his 32 not out to move the final score to 194/6, a defendable target.
Menorca’s stand out bowler was newcomer Julian Hagger with 4/27, supported by James Davies and Simon Cotton with one wicket each.
Menorca then batted and faced consistent pace bowling from Ibiza openers Paul Cruttwell (1/23) and Jim Harvey (1/44) and alert fielding, so gradually fell behind the required run rate. Julian Hagger (27) and James Davies (20) tried to cut loose, but when they were out, several other wickets fell too, and the visitors went from a steady 48/1 in 12 overs to 82/5 off 20. Then veteran Jeff Barker retired hurt and only no 8 Nick Roussel threatened a big score before getting caught for a defiant 54. Menorca still needed 50 runs off the last 5 overs with 2 wickets remaining, and then 35 off 3, so despite a rapid 14 from Roy Sturgeon, were all out for 166, Ibiza winning a hard fought encounter by 28 runs.
All the Ibiza bowers performed well, especially the emerging Jonathan Dudding with 4/14, while the openers, Mike Amos, Jeremy Parmenter and Johnno Gordon contributed one wicket each. Notably, this year marked the 30th anniversary of the long term rivalry with Menorca, so Ibiza made home advantage count with an impressive team performance, not having beaten the visitors since 2015.
12/05/18 IBZ Renegades vs Menorca 35 overs per side
Result: Menorca 205/2 (Tiger Tysoe 64, Julian Hagger 41, Nick Roussel 49*,James Davies 25*) beat IBZ Renegades 203/2 (Adam Johnston 99*, Bob Short 80,) by 8 wickets.
Today’s game proved why a team usually needs to score well over 200 to beat Menorca. Despite a wonderful partnership of 143 runs between Adam Johnston and the evergreen Bob “the Vicar” Short, a target of 203 was not enough and Menorca paced their chase perfectly, all their top batsmen getting runs and reaching 205/2 in the 33rd over.
N.B. IBZ Renegades replaced Mallorca, who were unable to raise a full team, and were formed by charismatic ex Chairman and Skipper Martin Makepeace with past and present Ibiza players (including batting stalwarts Adam Johnston, Bob the “Vicar” Short, Sam Feasey and Kiwi Jolyon Swinburne) plus Wes Walker, Mallorca’s Saffer all rounder.
The third day’s match between Ibiza and the Renegades would decide whether the 30th Balearic cup would be shared between the islands (as in 2015) or won by Ibiza CC, so there was all to play for, bragging rights for the new team
13/05/18 Ibiza vs IBZ Renegades 35 overs per side
Result: Ibiza 251/3 beat IBZ Renegades 85 all out by 166 runs
Ibiza were asked to bat first by Martin Makepeace, skipper of the IBZ Renegades, in this historical derby featuring 2 teams mainly from Ibiza for the first time in the 30 years of the Balearic cup. The Renegades exerted immediate pressure by removing Ibiza captain Sam Gooda, but then Tim Stacey and Andy Holmes combined in an impressive and composed partnership of 182 runs, which effectively blunted the Renegades’ bowling attack. Tim Stacey scored his maiden half century for Ibiza with 72, and Andy Holmes survived 2 chances to anchor the innings and score an unbeaten 135. Chris Prentice also chipped in with a rapid 24 and Ibiza were able to post a daunting 251/3 off their 35 overs. The Renegades bowlers worked hard, but could not slow the flow of runs, and only Paddy Slater (2/37) and Johnny Leighton, with 1 wicket, managed a return for their efforts.
The Renegades then batted and Adam Johnston, fresh from just missing out on a century the day before, struck several trademark boundaries, before getting caught in the deep for 30. However, the Ibiza bowlers applied constant pressure and wickets continued to fall, with only Bob “the Vicar” (11 not out) and Charles Bromley (13) reaching double figures, the Renegades slumping to 85 all out in 24 overs. Ibiza’s bowlers Paul Cruttwell (4/13) and Jim Harvey (1/29) made it hard to score, and this was continued by off spinner Mike Amos (1/14) and returning veteran Robin Parmenter (4/21), allowing Ibiza to close out a comprehensive win by 166 runs. Ibiza had finally won the 2 matches required to earn the Balearic cup on home turf, with their 3 previous tournament victories coming in Menorca only!
Sincere thanks are extended to Menorca Captain Simon Cotton and his friendly team, umpire and supporters, Martin Makepeace for organizing and captaining the IBZ Renegades team, Lyn Carpenter, Debbie Lanthier and Sarah Parmenter for making the players’ lunches for 3 days, all the umpires, not forgetting a concentrated Paul Partridge who completed 2 days, and last but not least, Disco Dave Reynolds for scoring all 3 days. Finally, congratulations to Sam Gooda and team for this win!
RPHood
